A Peppery Bite Of Flavor

 Red pepper adds spark and brightness to any dish.They can be from anywhere in the world but they' share a spiciness and excitement. This is what makes cooking great.

Regular contributor Eric Kim knows this and wrote about them in yesterday's New York Times Food section.Capiscums or peppers are grown all over the world. There are the Aleppos , fruity tasting ones from Syria which go into labneh and baba ganhouj along with soups. The Koreans have gochuguro, those sweet red pepper flakes while the Japanese have their togarashi - an interesting mix of yuzu, chili, ginger, black and white sesame and sansho - Japanese cardamon. The French use Espelette which is grown in the Pyranees and used to flavor many Basque dishes.The US has ground chipotle and jalapeno that flavor many Tex -Mex dishes. What makes chili powder unique? According to Ethan Frisch , founder and chief executive of Burlap and Barrel it's really the terroir or the ground that it's planted in. It's much like wine and coffee. The dirt determines the flavor.It doesn't;t take long  for the Chile to meet the demands of the local climate.Ut's also shaped by human interest as well.

One example of this is a school friend of Mr. Kim;s James dong grew Korean peppers in their Georgia hometown. While Mr. dong bought the seeds on Etsy , the peppers took on the fragrance of Mexican chipotle while they were being smoked and crushed to make gochugaru. The blazing perfume was so intense it felt like Mr. Kin was carrying around a flame. He used it in a variety of different dishes but the one recipe it clearly shone in was a pizza sauce. HOme chefs can use this type in the sauce but they can also use Aleppo, Espelette and red pepper flakes. Also add a teaspoon of smoked paprika to give it smokiness and depth. He recommends using a mix for a unique tasting sauce.It's an homage to the great chef and cookbook  author Marcella Hazan. You do have to switch the order of ingredient though if you are familiar with Hazan's recipe.Five tablespoons of butter has to be melted first so it can bloom, then the chiles are added.There's also a teaspoon of sugar added to eliminate the tomatoes tang.It would be also good warmed as a dipping sauce for garlic knot.

Peppers can make any dish sing. Use any combination for a kick.They'll turn anything into an exciting bite.